Spicy Shrimp Tacos
Next up for Taco Tuesday, Spicy Shrimp Tacos! A fresh and delicious meal filled with spicy shrimp, zesty slaw and fresh avocado.
This recipe was one of our go-to quick and easy meals while we were roadtripping through Alberta and BC this summer. It’s easy, fresh and delicious - the perfect summer meal! We loved using our Eureka SPRK Camp Grill to grill the shrimp, but you could just as easily use a different BBQ or pan fry instead!
Shrimp - fresh or frozen, cooked or raw?
Whenever you’re camping or travelling, storing raw foods is always an important topic to consider, especially if we’re talking about raw meat or seafood. It is recommended to keep cold foods (i.e raw meats and seafood) below 4C (40F), as bacteria can grow in the danger zone of 4C to 60C (40F to 140F). Read more food safety tips, here.
If you have a vehicle refrigerator that is temperature controlled and has a thermometer, fresh shrimp is easier to keep below 4C. This summer we invested in a vehicle fridge and it has been absolutely amazing. Would highly recommend if you love having fresh foods with you when camping!
However, if you are just using a cooler (what I’ve done for years), then it may be more difficult. You can definitely use cooler packs or ice to keep your raw food cold, it just depends how long it will be until you will cook the food, how accessible it is to refill with ice, and how fast the ice/cooler packs will melt in the cooler (i.e how hot it is outside). Typically coolers do not have a thermometer so you’re usually taking a guess on what the temperature actually is inside your cooler.
If you know you can keep the shrimp nice and cold, you can try fresh shrimp. I like using fresh when I can because I find you have less chance of them becoming chewy or overcooked. If you’re concerned you may not be able to keep the shrimp below 4C (fridge temperature), then I would suggest buying cooked, frozen shrimp, and placing them in your cooler to slowly defrost. NOTE: Only do this if you will use them the same day or the next day. If your shrimp are no longer cold, do not use them.
If you do not have access to any cold storage (no fridge, no cooler), do not use raw meat while camping. Opt for vegetarian tacos! You can try out my black bean and sweet potato tacos in Backpacking Tacos!
Toppings
For the toppings, I tried to keep it simple and yet packed with flavour.
I love a good aioli and tried to create a really simple version using mayo, sriracha, garlic powder and lime juice. If you want you can use fresh garlic to make it really punchy! Add some cabbage and you got yourself a nice zesty slaw.
You can play around with other toppings but my go-to’s are definitely avocado, cilantro and sometimes some fresh tomatoes!
If you’re a taco fan, check out my Backpacking Tacos for some more inspiration!
What are you favourite taco fillings? Drop them below!
More Dinner Ideas
Spicy Shrimp Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 x 340g package raw shrimp, peeled, tails off, fresh or frozen (if frozen, let thaw in fridge or cooler overnight)
- Your favourite chipotle spice rub (e.g. Club House Chipotle Mango)
- 4-6 small tortilla wraps, corn or flour
- 1-2 large handfuls shredded cabbage
- 3-4 Tbsp (45-60g) mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp (15g) sriracha sauce
- 1/2 tsp (1.5g) garlic powder
- juice of 1/2 lime
- fresh avocado
- cherry tomatoes, halved
- cilantro
- extra lime wedges
Instructions
- Make sure the shrimps are cleaned and the tails are removed. TIP: if using frozen shrimps, thaw in the fridge or cooler the night before. Marinade the shrimps in 2-3 Tbsp olive oil and a good sprinkle of the chipotle spice.
- Heat the camp grill on medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and firm, about 3-5 minutes each side. Then remove from grill.
- Meanwhile, add the mayonnaise, sriracha, garlic powder and lime juice to a small dish. Mix together and then add a couple handfuls of shredded cabbage. Stir all together.
- Heat up the tortillas on the camp grill for 15-30 seconds each side.
- Assemble your taco by layering cabbage slaw, shrimp, avocado, tomatoes and cilantro.
